ww2 what if: Could USSR have pwned europe?

[Tassadar500]

Originally posted by David Floyd
Actually, a Soviet invasion of Western Europe prior to 1941 would have almost been ideal for Germany. The Red Army was entirely unsuited for modern warfare prior to late 1942/early 1943, and it's advances into Europe would have been cut off and it's armies destroyed by the Wehrmacht.

This could also have led to cooperation between the Nazis and France/Britain against the Soviet Union, which, in my mind, would have been a far better historical outcome - I'd rather see the destruction of the Soviet Union than the destruction of Germany.

If we are talking post-1945, the Soviet Union was not in a position to do anything at all. If they had moved in the summer, atomic weapons would have fallen on Moscow and Leningrad. Even without atomic weapons, the Soviet Union was far too exhausted in terms of manpower to conquer Europe, and without continued Lend Lease, a huge Soviet war effort against Britain/France/USA was bound to fail. No question about it.

Serb? I'm waiting.....

You'd rather see the death of all the Jews, Gypsies, Gays, handicapped, then have the USSR alive, which would end up falling anyway?

[Ted Striker]

If we're talking 1945, it would be impossible.


The air forces based in the UK were just way way too strong, and the USSR had absolutley no hope of ever penetrating that air shield. It's like the air forces could raid continental Europe and then fly back to safety on the island, meanwhile the Soviets would have absolutley no hope of ever getting there themselves.

[Ted Striker]

Personally I'd like to see some information regarding the strength of the Soviet land forces in 1945.

Some people list them as "exhausted," but on the other hand, these were the best land based units in the world at the time.

Perhaps tactically and skill wise they were the best, but on a strategic level, sustaining these forces against the economic might of the US, would have been impossible. And also considering the manpower drain that had happened.

Stalin's purges and the loss of life to the Nazis are why today there are less men than women in Russia. Perhaps this explains all the Russian dating sites popping up all over the place: